During June, we investigate the history, lives and legends of Saint Anthony of Padua, the beloved patron saint of San Antonio Tlayacapan and San Juan Cosala's Saint John the Baptist as these communities on Mexico's Chapala lakeshore focus for nine days on processions, masses, sky rockets and devotions. Each community will begin each of the nine days preceding their Saint's Day with early morning firecrackers to awaken the village for the morning pilgrimage to mass...
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Yesterday was Palm Sunday and I drove to meet my friend who lives on the street of processions. Men, women and children were sweeping the street and sprinkling water on the cobblestone roads in preparation of the holy procession. Doors were festooned with arches of palms. After the street was cleaned, residents scattered alfalfa on the street, carpeting the entire procession route. Wide-eyed children in their Sunday best sold palm frond wands expertly woven into intricate designs...
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Reynaldo the Rugman has a problem. He and his relatives have made more rugs (beautiful colors, skillful weaving) than he can sell.
Reynaldo Vasquez Hernandez is a fifth or sixth-generation artisan in spring, summer and autumn and a traveling salesman — representing the entire clan — in winter.
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Part of the wonder and adventure of experiencing life in Ajijic, Mexico is the incredible diversity of color in the natural world — pungent reds, a range of blues, pale purples, brilliant yellows —...
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Bob and Judie Terry are not only veterans of the Peace Corps — which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year — they actually met at a National Peace Corps Association meeting. Judie (whose mother...
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Popular Ajijic photographer Jay Koppelman has two things to celebrate this winter: one, the recent opening of Studio 18, on Colón 18 in Ajijic, which features exclusively his photographs; and two, the recent publication of the first collection of his Mexico photographs, in a handsome coffee-table format, The Through Line.
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The men and women in the Chapala-Ajijic area whom I admire the most are those who can give so generously of their time to help others (without expecting anything in return), and Lakeside seems to be ov...
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This is the third installment in a story about my love affair with an old house in Mexico. One day I found myself standing in front of a beautiful three story, art nouveau town house. It was shabby, obviously neglected, and unlived in, but it had certain magic about it, which captured both my imagination and my heart. I knew, in that moment and with great certainly, that one day I would buy it.
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All the world has been told that tequila, the drink was born in Tequila — the town located 45 kilometers northwest of Guadalajara — but is this really a fact? Curiously, the famed Tequila Express t...
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If man's best friend is really a dog, Nick Lampiris is richly blessed. He has 37. Nick lives in Mexico, at the end of a mile-long dirt road, on ejido land, in the high country above Lake Chapala, in the colorful state of Jalisco. From his back door, he can see Mount Garcia and the lake, all the way to Scorpion Island. To the front is Mount Viejo.
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When it's winter up north, the skimboarding season is in full stride along the Pacific Coast beaches of Mexico. This is when the best talent goes head-to-head to determine ultimately who will make it t...
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Often, when we think of starving children, we're thinking about Central Africa or parts of India or even remote areas of South America. But Mexico has its share of the poor, as close by as the Chapala area. The truth is, unremitting hunger is right here under our noses and most of us aren't aware of it. Three Lakeside residents have formed what they call "Operation Compassion."
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In Mexico, it is said you never know what's behind the walls. Typical of Spanish architecture, most homes have high walls around them, affording privacy and sanctuary. It is often impossible to tell if it is a small house or a grand estate behind the walls. This is true of the Casa del Sol Bed & Breakfast Inn in the heart of Ajijic — a 16th century village on Mexico's Lake Chapala, just one hour south of the major metropolis of Guadalajara.
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We have a magnificent lake and a nearby international airport. At the Lake Chapala Society, there are no strangers, only friends you haven't met yet. We have great music, boutique hotels, fresh air and pyramids not too far away. Think about it! Ajijic could be that magical place you're looking for.
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The coast south of Cabo Corrientes, the southerly arm of our Bay of Banderas, is known as the Costa Alegre, Happy Coast, all the way down to Manzanillo. Barra de Navidad and Careyes are two of the better known spots. Directly west of El Tuito, the civic center of Cabo Corrientes, lies its bulk — a broad, hilly and ravined stretch of scrub and farm country that is separated from the Pacific by swaths of mile-long beaches and turquoise waters that have remained remarkably pristine.
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The lobby of the beautiful La Nueva Posada hotel
Although Lake Chapala's north shore is quaint and beautiful, services are world class. From cozy B&Bs to gracious hotels and bungalows, the trave...
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Life in the mountains may be the secret of longevity. It is not uncommon for mountain folks to live past their nineties and complete more than a century on this earth. Country folks usually eat what they grow on their ranches. Corn plays such a fundamental role in the Mexican diet, as well as beans, chilies, tomatoes and onions.
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The reasons to learn a foreign language are many. "For those of us traveling or living in Mexico, there is no doubt that learning Spanish enriches our lives," says Ohio native Anne Meyer, a social stud...
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The north shore of Lake Chapala is alive with the arts in all their manifestations. Music and dance -- from folk to classical, theater in English at the Lakeside Little Theatre, book clubs and creative writing groups complement the offering of galleries. Here are some suggestions to get you started.
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We do not operate an all-inclusive five-star resort. We do not live in a gated gringo enclave. Our home is in a genuine Mexican village, suburban Jocotepec, west end of Lake Chapala in the exciting state of Jalisco. Our street is bumpy and emits dust. We have no central heat or air conditioning. We do offer spectacular sunrises over the lake and a great view of Mount Garcia.
We are pleased to report there is no steady flow of guests.
Children, grandchildren and other relatives cycle through at their and our convenience. Close friends and next-door neighbors from East Tennessee have come and gone, one or two or three each winter, and another now and then when we return for the rainy season.
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North of the border, the real estate market has been influenced by the limited amount of credit available, causing banks to defer or decline applications for credit. On the other side of the equation, most homes in the area do not have mortgages, and the seller owns the home free and clear.
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When the honorable and distinguished city leaders of Cocula, Jalisco select me as communications consultant for their mariachi museum, I shall recommend minor enhancements.
The host who greets visitor...
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